: re:Afghans Form Militias and Call on Warlords to Battle Taliban

To the Editor: For half a century, the United States has staunchly defended borders around the globe, many of which make no sense. It was therefore surprising when in 2009, general David Petraeus began arming and empowering sectarian militias in Iraq rather than building the national army. To suppress daily casualties among U.S. ground forces, he fueled the civil war that is tearing Iraq apart today. Now the Petraeus Plan has come to Afghanistan. It may be that a confederation of ethnic states is the best that can be achieved there. But if power is to rest with sectarian militias, we should stop pissing money into the Kabul project that is trying to build a unified Afghan nation.